Sand reel



F. STONE Feb. .21; 1933.

SAND REEL a Sheet-Shet 1 Original Filed Dec. 15, 1950 um W nw u

I m F Feb. 21, 1933. F, STONE 1,898,067

SAND REEL Original Filed Dec. 15, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Frederick Stone.

Feb. 21, 1933.

F. STONE SAND REEL Inwnfor Frederick Stone.

-" driven drive wheel.

Patented Feb. 21, 1933 UNl'lE STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK STONE, F LCS ANG'ELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO DOHENY-STONE DRILL 00., OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SAND REEL Application file-cl December 15,1930, Serial No. 502,381. Renewed July 5, 1932.'

This invention has to do generally with hoisting machinery, and is of a type particularly well adapted for application to sand reels employed in the drilling and operation of oil wells. Accordingly, I shall describe my invention as applied to a hoist put to this particular use, though it will be understood this is not to be considered limitative on the invention.

During the drilling and operation of oil wells itoften becomes necessary to lower and raise relatively light implements through the Well bore. These implements are such that it requires only a relatively light line to'handle them, because of which, together with the fact that they are usually to be lowcred and raised with relative rapidity and yet under perfect control of the operator, it

has become customary to use what are termed sand reels for such operations. Sand reels are of relatively light construction and are adapted to be driven independently of the relatively heavy hoisting drums used for raising and lowering drilling tools, casing,

etc, these heavy drums and their operating mechanism not being adapted efficiently to perform relatively light, rapid and delicate hoisting and lower operations, as is well understood by those skilled in the art.

For instance, in the operation of bailing a well it is often necessary repeatedly to lower and raise a relatively light bailer, and it will be seen that the usual heavy hoist or draw works is not adapted to perform such a task 3 efficiently. This is particularly true since it is often necessary to reciprocate the bailer through relatively short strokes after it has reached working position in the well, and the heavy hoistin equipment of the draw works is not designed for such delicacy and rapidity of operation.

Usual sand reels are operated by bodily swinging a friction wheel into and out of frictional engagement with a constantly This method of control is neither safe nor fully efiicient. It does not permit the delicacy of control desirable, except in t -e hands of particularly skilled operators, for if any parts be slightly out of adjustment or unduly worn, the slightest bodily movement of the friction wheel may mean, the difference between a full speed drive of the reel or complete release of the load. Not only are the parts subject to excessive and uneven wear and therefore require frequent adjustment and replacement, but'the entire drive system is not well adapted to take care of suddenly increased loads. For instance, if the bailer happens to hang up momentarily during the hoisting operation, it frequently happens that theline is snapped, since the operator has no warning and cannot respond quickly enough to release the driving engagement in time to prevent line breakage,

It is therefore among the objects of my invention to provide novel and dependable means for controlling a sand reel with extreme delicacy, that is, a control which will permit great nicety of adjustment in the lowering and hoisting speeds, enabling the operator to regulate such speed with dispatch precision and in exact conformance with the demands of the task he has in hand.

All this is accomplished with a driving arrangement in which the wear on and necessity of adjustment of parts arereduced to a minimum. Furthermore, in the event of a sudden increase in load, the drive connection yields in a manner to prevent line breakage.

It is a further object of the invention to. render the sand reel and its control mechanism entirely self-contained, that is, the novel means I provide for regulating the hoisting speed so it may be at any point betweenzero and the high speed limit of the driving means, is all contained within the main body of the hoisting apparatus. This is of obvious advantage from the standpoints of compactness, safety and general efiiciency.

I provide a novel clutch for regulating the hoisting speed of the reel, this clutchbeing in the form of planetary gearing, a particularly advantageous feature residing in the fact that the planetating elements of this system are carried by and within that member, in this case a drum, to whichis applied the controlling clutch brake band. I s

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel and particularly efficient manner of mounting the various elements of the planetary clutch system on the main shaft of the sand reel and of operatively associating them with the sand reel, proper. These points, as well as other features of novelty and objects of the invention will be apparent from the'following detailed description.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sand reel embodyingmy-invention, parts of the structure being shown broken away and insection to illustrate certain details of construction. That part of the frame which is broken away illustrates sections taken on lines 1-1 of Fi s. 3 and 4.;

l ig. 2-is a top plan view of Fig. 1;

Figs..3l and 4 are. sections on line 3-3 and 4-4, respectively, ofFig. 1, slightly reduced in scale; in both cases the drums being shown diagrammatically to eliminate the showing of their contained mechanism; which is unnecessary to an understanding of theseviews.

Figz5 isan enlarged section on line 55 of Fig; 2; and

Fig. 6'- is-a side'elevation of the planetary drumin detached condition.

While'the supporting structure of my sand reel isin'no" way controlling on my invention', I' h'ave illustrateda particularly sturdy frame support made up of sills 10 end cross bars=11,-.cross bars 12 spaced slightly from bars'11', and' intermediate cross bar 13. Weldedto bars-12'are vertical end plates 14 which are braced by plates 15 and to, which are welded uprights 16, preferably in the form of channels. Bolted to channels 16 are bearings-17 whichsupport the main shaft 18 of thereelingdrum or spool generally indicated at S; Bearings 17 also take the end thrust ofshaft' 18 and thus hold it against longitudinal play.

The'sp'ool portion S of'the sand reel may be of anydesired type. I have here shown astandard form of reelmade up of drum sections 19 and 20 which are clamped betweenfl'anges 21' by through bolts 22, the latter ext'ending through the two hubs 23 provided at opposite ends of the spool. These hubs,- in turn, carry flanges 24 which a-re'bolted at 25"to the outer'flanges 21. The hubsare ke ed'at- 26 to shaft 18, it following thatspool and'sha-ft 18 always revolve as one;

Onthe opposite end of'shaft18 and keyed thereto at 27'is adrive sleeve 28. Sleeve 28 has at one end a head'or flange 29, while the opposite end is threaded as at 30. Bolted to one side of'fian'ge 29 is the web 31 of brake drum The same bolts 33 which hold said drum to flange 29 are conveniently used to hold bevel ring gear 34-to the opposite side of-"fl'an'ge- 29. This'ring gear" is a part of the planetary clutch or driving system, as will be later made apparent. Due to the keying of 'sleve 28*to shaft 18, it will be seen that brake drum 32, gear 34, and spool S are always adapted to rotate as one with shaft 18. Accordingly, the drive to the spool from the planetary system and the braking of the spool to control its unreeling speed may be accomplished through the single drive sleeve 28. Due to the rigid interconnection of all these parts through shaft 18, it will be seen that, in effect sleeve 28, brake drum 32 and gear 34 may be considered a part of spool S, and that therefore the direct mounting of said drum, sleeve and gear on said spool lies within the scope of my invention, considered in its broader aspects.

lVith the exception of gear 34, all elements of the planetary drive or clutch, generally indicated at P, are mounted for bodily rotation about shaft 18. The planet gear carrier 36 of clutch P is in the form of flanged drum having an external brake-band receivingface 37. The-rim 38 and hub 39 of drum 36 are connected by spaced webs 40, the hub carrying an internal bearing liner 41a whereby the drum is mounted for smooth rotation about shaft 18. At diametrically opposite points, rim 38 and hub 39 are provided with opposed bosses 41 and 42, respectively, these bosses'having alined bores 43 and 44, respectively. Planet gears or bevel pinions 45 are held between bosses 41' and 42 by stationary stub shafts'45a, said shafts being held against longitudinal displacement at one end by their engagement with bearing sleeve 41a and at their other ends by removable plugs 46 which are threaded into bores 43. Bearings 47 provide for the proper rotational mounting of the pinions about the stub shafts. Gears 45 are held in mesh with ring gears 34 by means which will be'described later.

Mounted on and for rotation aboutsleeve 28 is a bevel ring gear 48 which has-the same diameter-and tooth characteristics as ring gear 34. Gears 48 and 34 are, of course, axially alined and are in spaced opposition, with gears 45 and the web of carrier 36 between them. Gear 48 has an elongated hub 49 in the bore of which is secured a bearing sleeve 50. An oil pocket 51 is provided in hub 49 to which pocket oil is fed from the exterior through passageway 52 and from which pocket oil is fed through passageway 52 between sleeve and-sleeve 28. At the outer end of hub 49 is provided a thrust bearing 53, a keeper ring 54 being threaded on drive sleeve 28 at 30 to engage the outer end of this thrust bearing and thus serving to hold gears 48, 45 and 34 in mesh and hence holding clutch drum or planet gear carrier 36 against longitudinal displacement along sleeve 28.

A drive sprocket 55 is bolted at 56 to flange 57'on hub 49. Hoisting power is applied to sprocket 55 through a chain connection (not shown) with any suitable prime mover (not shown) the prime mover serving to rotate gear 48 constantly in a given direction, the direct-ionbeing such that it will wind line L upon spool S when the planetary clutch is in driving condition, as will be described.

Before describing the opierationof the planetary gearing, I will first describe the selectively operable means for applying braking force to clutch drum 36, whereby the drive through the planetary from the sprocket to the spool is accomplished, and the means for applying braking force to brake drum 32. Spaced brackets and 61 are secured to one of the sills 10 at 62 and 63, respectively, these brackets serving both to support the operating rock shaft 64 and to anchor the dead end of brake bands 65 and 66, these bands being applied to drums 36 and 32, respectively, in the usual manner. The anchoring is accomplished through tension rods 67 and 68 which are clipped to bands 65 and 66, respectively, in the usual manner illustrated and are hooked at their lower ends into brackets 60 and 61, respectively, as clearly shown in-Fig. 1. Fixed to rock shaft 64 are downwardly and upwardly extending crank arms 69 and 70, respectively, there being a usual draw-bar connection 71 between the free end of band 65 and crank 69, and draw-bar or link connection 72 between the free end of band 66 and crank 70. I

Rock shaft 64 extends to the right hand end of the supporting frame, as viewed'in Figs. l and 2, having bearing at 73 in one of the cross bars 12 and terminating in an angular extension forming the operating or swing lever 74. When lever 74 is in an upright position, dot-dash lines in Figs. 3 and 4) cranks 69 and are in the positions of Figs. 3 and 4, respect vely, bands 65 and 66 thenbeing in the loose or unapplied condition shown in these figures. If lever 74 be swung to the right 3) shaft 64 is rotated in aclockwise direction causing a constriction of band 65 about drum 36 and further loosening band 66 from about drum 32. If lever 7 4 be swung to the left, as viewed in Fig. 4, shaft 64 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, thus serving to constrict band 66 about drum 32 and further loosening band 65 with respect to drum 36. Thus, by manipulation of the single lever 74, the brake bands may he selectively applied to their respective drums and, of course, by varying the extent of lerotation. Sprocket55 is being rotated constantly in a given direction by the prime tion of rotation of gear 34 will be opposite I that of gear 48. Gear 34 thus drives spool S in a reeling-in or hoisting direction, the drive from the gear to the spoolbeing accomplished through drive sleeve 28, shaft 18 and hubs 23.

If it be desired to decrease the reeling speed, it is only necessary for the operator to relieve the pressure on lever 74 to loosen band 65 slightly and thus allow drum 36 to slip, whereupon said drum with its gears 45 will planetate slightly and correspondingly reduce the driving effect imparted to gear 34 and hence to the spool. Of course, the looser the band 65, the slower will be the reeling speed of spool S. When lever 7 4 is moved to an upright or neutral position, carrier 36 rotates freely about shaft 18, the gears 45 thus planetating freely about gear 34, and no drive will be imparted to gear 34 and spool S. On the other hand in picking up a load the planetary clutch described enables a very gradual pick up, if that be desired, this ef fect being gained by applying. a gradually increasing amount of constricting force to band 65. If it be desired to secure rapid acceleration, it is only necessary for theoperator to apply greater braking force to drum 65 by proper manipulation of lever 74. In fact, between zero reeling speed and maximum reeling speed, as determined by the highest speed to be accomplished when drum 36 is held stationary, the operator hasit within his power to secure any one of an infinite number of speeds by the simple ade justment of the operating lever. This is true both during acceleration or deceleration, from one to the other of. which he is free to turn at any stage of the operation by merely adjusting band 65 to vary the resistance to rotation of carrier 36.

While the clutch is thus of a very sensitive nature as far as its controlling effect is concerned, it is very sturdy, compact and efficient. The nature and arrangement of parts are such that uneven and excessive wear thereof is reduced to a minimum, thus ZLVOfClv ing frequent ad uStment and replacement.

supported tool, the planetary carrier may slip with relation to its braking band, and thus avoid line-breakage as well as damage to the hoisting apparatus.

During the lowering-away operation, spool lOO Furthermore, in the event the load is suddenly increased, as by hanging up of the line- 3 sprocket and gear: 48 are still being rotated in. their driving direction, sincecarrier' 36 is'then-free to rotate aboutzshaftz18 and gears 45, are freely planetat-able', this? movement compensating for all difl'erences'in speed and direction of rotation between gears3 l and 48.

It will be evident from an inspection of Fig.4, that if it'be desired to checkor stop the unreeling movement of spool' S, it is merely necessary-to swing'lever Tetat'o the left, as viewed in this figure, to constrict' band 66 about drum'82,.it having been explained that said drum and said spool'are both keyed, in effect, to the one shaft18; Of course, by varying the swinging pressure exerted on lever 74L the braking effect ofband 66 on drum 32 may be varied to check therota tion of the spool as desired;

It will be seen that since both clutch band and brake'band 66 are controlled from the single lever 74', it is a very simple matter for the operator to control with'great'nicety either the reeling or unreeling ofv the spool line, and that he can shift said lever to change instantlyfrom one effect to theother; This is a matter of great convenience, andsometimes of necessity, in performing certain sand line and other'operations, as is well understood by those skilledin the art.

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment ofmy invention, it will be understood'that various changes-in design, structure and arrangement may be made without departingfrom the spiritand scope of'the appended claims.

I claim:

1'. In a device of the characterdescri-bed, a shaft, a reeling drum'keyed'to said shaft, a driving sleeve keyed to said shaft, airing gear fixed to said sleeve, a second ring gear mounted on said sleevefor rotation thereabout, said secondring gear being in spaced opposition to the first mentioned ring gear, a drive sprocket on the second ringgear, a planet gear carrier having an external drum face and mounted on said sleeve for rotation thereabout, said carrier being positioned between said ring gears, planet gears-carried by said carrier and held thereby in mesh with said two ring gears, a constrictable brake band about said drum face, and means for constricting'said band.

2. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a reeling drum keyed to said shaft, a drivingsleeve keyed to said shaft, a ring gear fixed to said sleeve, a second ring gear mounted on'said sleeve for rotation thereabout, said second ring gear being in spaced opposition to the first mentioned ring gear, a drive sprocket on the second ring gear, a planet" gear carrier having an external drum face and mounted on said sleeve for rotation thereabout, said carrier being positioned between said ring gears, planet gears carried by said" carrier and held thereby in aplanet gear-carrier having an external drum faceand mounted on said sleeve for rotation-thereabout, said carrier being positioned between saidringgears, planet gears carried by said carrier and held thereby in mesh with said'two ring gears, a constrictable-brake band about said drum face, a brake drum fixedtosaid sleeve,- a constrictablebrake band about saiddrum, and means operable to constrict said bands selectivelv.

4. In a device of the'character described,

a shaft, a reeling, drum keyed to said shaft, a driving sleeve keyed to said shaft, a ring gear fixed-to said-sleeve, a second ringgear mounted on said sleeve for rotation thereabout, said'secondringgear being in spaced opposition to the first mentioned ring gear, drive applying means on the second ring gear, a planet gear carriermounted on'said sleevevfor rotationthereabout, said carrier being positioned between said ring gears, planetgears carried by'said carrier and held therebyin mesh with said two ring gears, and means for regulatably checking rotation of the carrier as set up by rotation of said second ringgear.

5. In a device of the character described, a shaft, 2, reeling drum keyed to said'shaft, a driving sleeve keyed to said shaft, a ring gear fixed to said sleeve, a second ring gear mounted on said sleeve for rotation thereabout, said second ring gear being in spaced opposition to the first mentioned ring gear, drive applying means on the second ring gear, a planet gear carrier mounted on said sleeve for rotation thereabout, said carrier being positioned between said ring gears, planet gears carried by said carrier and held thereby in mesh with said two ring gears, means for regulatably checking rotation of the carrier as set up by rotation of said second ring gear, and brake means applied to said sleeve.

6. In a device of the character described, a shaft, a reeling drum keyed to said shaft, a driving sleeve keyed to said shaft, a ring gear fixed to said'sleeve, a second ring gear mounted on said sleeve for rotation thereabout, said second ring gear being in spaced opposition to the first mentioned ring gear, drive applying means on the second ring gear,

a planet gear carrier mounted on said sleeve for rotation thereabout, said carrier being positioned between said ring gears, planet gears carried by said carrier and held thereby in mesh With said two ring gears, means for regulatably checking rotation of the carrier as set up by rotation of said second ring gear, brake means applied to said sleeve, and means operable to actuate said checking 1 means and said brake means selectively.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th day of November, 1930.

FREDERICK STONE. 

